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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27611417">The Amnesiac Piglet</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagichi_boop/pseuds/nagichi_boop'>nagichi_boop</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Sleepy Bois Inc, Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adopted Sibling Relationship, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Half-Human, Not a Love Story, Other, Platonic Relationships, Please don’t take this as a ship fic, Science Fiction, Temporary Amnesia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:29:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,300</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27611417</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagichi_boop/pseuds/nagichi_boop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Wandering through the forest, Philza finds a young boy with pig ears among the rubble of a burned down building and decides to take him home. The boy, who can only recall that his name is Technoblade, discovers he has amnesia. As the newly adopted brother of Wilbur and Tommy, Techno seeks to figure out what happened to him and who he is, but he soon discovers that his past is more complicated than it once seemed.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clay | Dream &amp; Dave | Technoblade, Dave | Technoblade &amp; Floris | Fundy, Dave | Technoblade &amp; Jschlatt, Dave | Technoblade &amp; Toby Smith | Tubbo, Dave | Technoblade &amp; TommyInnit, Dave | Technoblade &amp; Wilbur Soot, Dave | Technoblade &amp; Wilbur Soot &amp; TommyInnit &amp; Phil Watson, Technoblade &amp; Philza</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>373</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Lost Boy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The rain fell rapidly from the sky, thunder crackling in the distance. A strange man wondered the damp forest, his head covered from the rain by a stripy hat. He finally stopped at the opening of the woods, standing by a tree and looking out at the building he had often come to observe. The building, once in tact, now lay in ruins, smoke rising from it. </p><p>The man went to further inspect the building, venturing closer than he had before. As he drew nearer, he saw the body of a small boy laying on the ground, his clothes torn and burned. On closer inspection, the boy had small pig ears among his messy hair. Kneeling down, the man picked up the small child without hesitation, carrying him on his back, then headed back towards the forest. </p><p>He eventually made it to his small house, then opened the back door to enter in, to which two small boys rushed towards him.</p><p>“Hey Philza,” the older of the two spoke. He then leaned to the side. “Who’s that on your back?”</p><p>“I’m not quite sure yet, Wilbur,” Philza said, walking further into the house. His expression became stern. “What I’m also not sure of is why you and your brother are still awake so late.”</p><p>“Tommy and I wanted a cookie, so we went to come ask if we could have some, but you were gone,” Wilbur replied as Tommy pouted guiltily, to which Philza relaxed his expression. </p><p>“I see. Well, let me go lay this kid down in the spare bedroom and we can have some cookies, but after that you need to go to bed, okay?” Philza responded in a warm yet firm voice. The two boys then excitedly nodded, following behind Philza as he put the other boy to bed. As he laid him down, Wilbur raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“Why does he have ears like that?” Wilbur asked curiously. Philza stayed silent for a second as he stared at the boy, then turned back and smiled warmly. </p><p>“I don’t know,” he replied, then ruffled Wilbur’s hair. “Maybe we can ask him when he wakes up, but let’s leave him so he can rest and we can have those cookies, hm?” Wilbur and Tommy immediately started jumping with joy, to which Philza quickly ushered them out of the room. He sat them down at the table, then put three glasses of milk in the microwave to heat them up. As that was happening, he went into Wilbur’s room, picking out some fresh pyjamas. Entering the spare bedroom, he placed the clothes on the small chest of drawers beside the boy’s bed, turning on the lamp that was on top of it. He then wrote a note, placed it atop the clothes under the lamp, then left the room, closing the door behind him and returning to Wilbur and Tommy. </p><p>As they were all chatting and enjoying their snacks in the kitchen, the boy in the room began to wake up, unbeknownst to the others. The boy’s eyes scanned the room, trying to figure out where he was. He sat up and found himself in a very dark room, his head hurting a little and feeling fuzzy. He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there, but he wanted to know. He turned his head and noticed a lamp illuminating a note that read ‘Feel free to change into these when you wake up!’, to which the boy looked at the clothes he was wearing. For some reason, they were completely torn and had a strong smokey smell to them. He quickly changed into the pale grey pyjamas that were underneath the note, then opened his door slightly, peering from behind it down the corridor. He could see light at the end of the corridor and heard lively conversation from a distance, which made him feel a bit nervous, but his curiosity got the better of him, so he quietly crept down the hallway. As he got closer, he could see the backs of two children and an adult sat on the opposite side of the table. The adult then noticed the boy in the corridor.</p><p>“Ah, you’re awake,” Philza said kindly, to which the two other boys turned around in their seats and stared. “How are you feeling?”</p><p>The boy stayed silent, anxiously fiddling with his fingers. Philza smiled then stood up, taking the boy’s hand and leading him to where he was once sitting, allowing the small boy to take his place. He then got some more cookies, putting them on another plate. </p><p>“Sorry it’s not much,” Philza said as he placed the plate in front of the boy. He then went to get some milk and began pouring some into a glass. “I’ll make something a bit more filling in a little while, but for now, please enjoy some cookies with us.”</p><p>He stared down at his plate, which had 3 cookies on it. The microwave hummed in the background as Philza took a seat next to the boy. </p><p>“What’s your name?” the blonde boy asked, his face covered in crumbs, to which the quieter boy looked up suddenly. He looked at Philza, then back down at his plate.</p><p>“I’m…not sure,” the boy replied in a soft, monotone voice. Philza looked at him with concern. The boy’s brain felt incredibly foggy and jumbled, and despite his best efforts, he couldn’t remember much about what had happened before he woke up. One name kept appearing in his head though. “I think people called me Technoblade.”</p><p>“Technoblade?” Tommy said, tilting his head. He then smiled widely. “That’s a cool name!”</p><p>“Can I call you Techno? It’s a bit easier to say than Technoblade,” Wilbur enquired, to which Techno shyly nodded his head. The microwaved pinged, prompting Philza to stand up and fetch the glass of milk, handing it to Techno. </p><p>“Eat up, kiddo,” Philza said, then took a seat next to Techno. Techno looked at the plate, then picked up a cookie, nervously eating it. Once he took a bite, he realised just how hungry he was and began to eat his food quickly before downing the milk. After he finished, he looked up to see everyone’s shocked faces, then blushed out of embarrassment. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” he said anxiously, causing Philza to chuckle. </p><p>“It’s okay! I’ll whip you up something better once the boys have gone to bed, okay?” He ruffled Techno’s hair gently. “I should probably introduce who we are, huh? You can call me Philza. The curly haired boy is Wilbur and the little rascal is Tommy.”</p><p>“Hey!” Tommy spoke up in an offended voice. </p><p>“It’s true though,” Wilbur replied teasingly, making Tommy more frustrated. </p><p>“Okay boys, that’s enough drama for tonight. Time for you two to settle down for the night.” The boys seemed disappointed, but obeyed compliantly. After putting their dishes in the sink, they said goodnight to Philza and Techno, then went to their rooms. </p><p>“Sorry about all the commotion,” Philza apologised. “It was probably a bit overwhelming for you, but I promise they’re both lovely boys. I think seeing a new face made them a bit excitable is all.” Philza picked up Techno’s dishes, placing them in the sink and then began washing them up. “You said your name was Technoblade. Is there anything else you can remember before coming here?”</p><p>Techno scrunched up his face as he tried to remember, but he couldn’t form any clear memories in his head. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember anything else,” he said defeatedly. </p><p>“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” The two of them fell silent for a while. Philza turned off the tap, then sat down next to Techno again. “Until we figure out where you came from, we’ll look after you, okay?” Techno looked down, then back up at Philza and reluctantly nodded.</p><p>“Atta boy,” Philza said joyfully. “Now then, let’s make you something a bit more substantial. What do you like?”</p><p>Techno thought for a moment before hit eyes lit up. “I like cheeseburgers,” he replied with a childish zeal. </p><p>“Cheeseburgers it is!” Philza got burgers out of the freezer, but as he turned around, he noticed that Wilbur and Tommy were peering from behind to door, hiding once they realised Philza had spotted them. Philza placed the burgers on the side, then opened the door up. “Why aren’t you boys in bed?”</p><p>“S-Sorry dad,” Wilbur said, avoiding eye contact. “We just wanted to talk to Techno some more.”</p><p>“And we want cheeseburgers,” Tommy added, to which Wilbur elbowed him in the side and shushed him. Philza sighed. </p><p>“Okay fine, but this is a one off, okay? And no bombarding Techno with questions. He is still getting settled in and I don’t want you boys scaring him.” The boys nodded emphatically, then rushed to the table and sat down. The three boys waited impatiently as Philza cooked four burgers in a pan. After he had finished, he set a plate in front of each of them including himself, but Wilbur and Tommy looked dissatisfied with their portion. </p><p>“Why do we only get half a burger?” Tommy whined.</p><p>“Because you’ve already had dinner and Techno hasn’t,” Philza replied bluntly. </p><p>“I get why Techno has two burgers, but why do you get a full one? You already had dinner too,” Wilbur added. </p><p>“Because I’m the adult here and I made these burgers.” Techno looked up at Philza, who chowed down on burger with no remorse, almost tauntingly. He found the situation quite humorous, but he held in his laughter for fear of appearing rude. </p><p>“Do you want some of my burger?” Techno asked the other boys. Tommy’s eyes lit up, but Wilbur shook his head. </p><p>“It’s okay Techno, please enjoy your dinner,” Wilbur said softly, though Tommy still seemed somewhat upset. Techno tore one of his burgers in half, then placed it on Tommy’s plate, who suddenly perked up. </p><p>“You didn’t have to do that, Techno,” Philza said. “I made this dinner for you.”</p><p>“I know,” Techno responded. “But he looked like he was gonna throw a fit.” Wilbur and Philza looked at Techno completely bamboozled by his frankness, then the two of them burst out laughing. </p><p>“You’re gonna fit in just fine here,” Philza said after composing himself, wiping a tear from his eye. Tommy, ignoring the situation, had now finished his meal. He then stood up and ran beside Techno, hugged him then ran off to his room without saying a word. Techno was completely caught off guard, unsure of what just happened or how he should respond.</p><p>“Wow, good job,” Wilbur said. “It took me three days for him to hug me. It seems he likes you already.” Wilbur then grabbed a napkin, wiped his fingers and then also went to bed. Philza gathered all the plates and cleared the table, though he didn’t immediately wash the dishes. Techno seemed confused by what Wilbur had said, but chose not to ask about it. </p><p>“I’m guessing you’re probably very tired, so I think we best get you to bed, too,” Philza said warmly. “I don’t have anything to do tomorrow, so we can go out and get you some essentials. For now, try and get a good night’s sleep, alright?”</p><p>Techno nodded, then left the kitchen to go back to his room, leaving Philza to finish clearing up before he too went to bed. Techno spent a while staring up at his ceiling, completely overwhelmed over everything that had happened. He had no idea how on earth he had gotten here, but he was grateful that he was at least with people who seemed nice. He was still unnerved by his inability to recall anything, but he hoped that after a good nights rest, all would become clear. He decided to close his eyes, but once he did so, he almost immediately fell asleep due to exhaustion. </p><p>When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a completely white room. Looking down, he saw a goat and a fox in front of him, staring up at him. He tilted his head, unsure of what was happening, but he figured he was probably dreaming. </p><p>“You have to remember,” the goat spoke suddenly, catching Techno off guard but confirming his suspicions. </p><p>“You have to forget,” the fox then spoke. </p><p>“I don’t understand,” Techno replied. “Who are you?”</p><p>The goat and fox suddenly turned and ran, to which Techno tried to chase them, but to no avail. Before he knew it, both animals had disappeared. He took a moment to catch his breath, then turned around and was startled to see a tall man dressed in a white robe, the sight causing Techno to grow fearful. Before Techno could react to the situation, the man threw a brown sack over Techno, causing him to scream.</p><p>Techno woke up in a cold sweat, back in the unfamiliar room he was in before, the sun peeking through the curtains. He tried for a moment to remember his past, but like before, he couldn’t do it. He was now resigned to the fact he had amnesia.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Adapting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Feeling drowsy yet restless, Techno wandered into the kitchen. To his surprise, Philza was already awake, reading the newspaper with a cup of coffee in front of him. He lowered the magazine, looking at Techno as he entered the room.</p><p>“Hey Techno,” Philza said cheerily. “What are you doing up so early?” Techno walked closer to the table, causing Philza to notice the dark shadows that were under his eyes. “Are you okay? You look exhausted.”</p><p>“I’m okay,” Techno said in a blunt voice. “I just had a bad dream.” Philza looked concerned, but Techno didn’t seem to be upset, so he decided not to pry. Techno pulled out a chair, sitting opposite to Philza, who then smiled softly at him.</p><p>“What do you want for breakfast?” Philza asked.</p><p>“Shouldn’t you be asking Wilbur or Tommy that?” Techno replied.</p><p>“What do you mean?” Philza said sounding somewhat confused.</p><p>“Well, they’re your sons, right?”</p><p>Philza had a look of realisation. “Well so long as you’re here, you’re family. So please don’t feel like you are inferior to anyone else, okay?” Techno reluctantly nodded his head, though in his heart he still felt as though he didn’t belong.  </p><p>“Pancakes,” Techno spoke up suddenly. “Pancakes are nice.” Philza smiled, then stood up and got out ingredients. Awoken the commotion in the kitchen, Wilbur and Tommy entered the kitchen, with Tommy sleepily rubbing his eyes while clinging onto Wilbur’s shirt.  </p><p>“Good morning, dad,” Wilbur said before letting out a yawn. “What’s for breakfast?”</p><p>“We are having pancakes this morning! Then once you’ve all eaten, we are going on a family trip out to the shops so we can get some things for Techno.” Techno suddenly perked up, looking a little anxious. He twiddled his thumbs as Wilbur and Tommy took their seats at the table. Wilbur, who was sat beside him, clocked that Techno was acting fidgety. </p><p>“Is something wrong, Techno?” Wilbur asked. </p><p>“I was just thinking,” Techno said shakily, raising his hand and gently pinching his ear. “None of you have ears like me, so won’t it look weird if I go out with you all looking like this?” Philza, who had his back facing to the kids, turned his head for a brief moment to look at Techno, then looked back at the pancakes he was making. </p><p>“It’s okay,” Wilbur responded confidently. “I have a bunch of beanies you can choose from. You can wear one to cover your ears so that no one can see!” </p><p>“Why do you want to hide them?” Tommy interrupted. “They look poggers!”</p><p>Techno tilted his head. “What does that mean?”</p><p>“He means they look cool,” Wilbur answered. </p><p>Philza finished making the pancakes, then presented the food to the others. They all ate relatively quickly as Philza kept urging them that the earlier they leave, the quicker they’d be home again. It seemed like he had some plans, but no amount of prying would convince him to reveal them. </p><p>Once they’d finished their food, Wilbur and Tommy rushed to their rooms to get changed. Philza placed his hand on Techno’s shoulder, who seemed uneasy. </p><p>“Don’t worry,” he said reassuringly. “You can go to Wilbur’s room and fetch some clothes. But first, I wanted to talk to you about your ears.”</p><p>Techno grew nervous. “If you want me to stay home then I’d be more than happy to wait. I understand I’m not normal.”</p><p>Philza moved his hand to Techno’s head, ruffling his hair a little. “That’s not exactly what I meant. Here, come with me.” Philza took Techno’s hand, leading him into his room and closing the door behind him after switching on the lights. Just as Techno scanned the room, he was rendered speechless as two large dark wings sprouted from Philza’s back. It was a shocking yet beautiful sight. As Techno stood there speechless, Philza retracted his wings. </p><p>“Please keep this a secret from the boys,” Philza said. “I don’t want to alarm them.”</p><p>Techno took a second to compose himself as Philza put his jacket back on. “If it’s so important that they don’t know about your wings, why did you show me? And why didn’t you try to hide my ears?”</p><p>“Well, with regards to your features, there wasn’t really much I could do to hide that at the time. But I knew Wilbur and Tommy would be accepting of you regardless, and I’ve already had a word with them to ask them to keep it a secret.” He paused for moment, then smiled at Techno. “As to why I showed you, I just wanted to reassure you that you’re not alone. You said that you felt you weren’t normal, right? Well, none of us in this family are really. You’ll settle in just fine I reckon.”</p><p>Techno scowled a little as his mind buzzed with thoughts faster than he could keep up with. He suddenly had a look of realisation on his face. “Wait, how did you hide your wings? Can I do that with my ears? And if you have wings, does that mean there are more people like us out there?”</p><p>Philza chuckled, delighted at Techno’s sudden enthusiasm. “Don’t worry, I’ll show you how to hide your animal features soon, but for now there’s no reason to fret.” He then flashed a bittersweet smile. “Unfortunately though, I don’t have all the answers, so I don’t know if there’s anyone else out there like us.” He looked up warmly at Techno, retaining his somewhat forced smile. “For now, let’s just focus on getting you some stuff, okay?”</p><p>Techno hesitated before nodding. As they finished their conversation, there was a knock on the bedroom door. Philza then walked towards the door, opening it a little. </p><p>“Is Techno in there?” Wilbur enquired. </p><p>“Yup, I just finished talking to him about something,” Philza replied as he opened the door more to reveal Techno standing in the room, still wearing his borrowed pyjamas. Wilbur looked over to him, then smiled playfully. He ran into the room, then took Techno’s hand and hastily led him out of the room, instead bringing him to his room. Wilbur’s room, like Philza’s, was very neat and tidy. In the corner of the room, there was a guitar, propped up against his wall. He also had a desk with notebooks stacked, with one notebook open in the center, notes written on the pages neatly. </p><p>“I got some clothes out that I thought you might like,” Wilbur spoke suddenly, gesturing towards some clothes that were laid on his bed. Techno walked closer, taking a look at some of the clothes Wilbur had left out. He decided to pick up a white sweater, black pants and a black beanie. Wilbur then picked up the clothes, taking them to Techno’s room and allowing him to change in private, returning to his own room to store away the other clothes he had gotten out. </p><p>Once Techno had finished changing, he went back into Wilbur’s room. Wilbur smiled, then approached Techno, taking a moment to adjust the beanie more securely on Techno’s head. </p><p>“Perfect,” Wilbur said beaming. “You look awesome!” Techno blushed for a second, suppressing a smile.</p><p>Philza stood in the doorway with Tommy behind him. After getting everything he needed into the car and making sure the boys were all buckled up in the back together, they headed off to the shops. Once they arrived at the first clothes shop, Philza unbuckled Tommy’s seatbelt and lifted him from out of his chair while Wilbur helped Techno with his seatbelt. It seemed as though Techno had never been in a car before, but after showing Techno how to use the seatbelt, he seemed to get the hang of it. </p><p>They went from store to store, buying essentials for Techno as well as a variety of clothes. He seemed to lean more towards clothes that were comfortable rather than fashionable, things like hoodies and sweaters. Wilbur picked out some beanies and other hats for Techno to hide his ears. Tommy also picked out a pig plushie, which Techno dismissed at first, but later went back to pick up and sneak in with the rest of the shopping, which was only noticed by Philza at the time.</p><p>In one of the shops, Philza almost lost Techno. He had to back track, leading him to find Techno standing there, staring at a child’s costume of a cape and crown. It looked cheap, but for some reason, Techno seemed to be fixated on it. </p><p>“Do you want it?” Philza asked. Techno snapped out of his daze, looking up at Philza. He seemed hesitant, but then nodded his head. Philza picked one up, placing it in their cart. He then ruffled Techno’s hair. “Next time you see something, stop me, okay? I don’t want to lose you in a shop.” </p><p>After they had finished the shopping, they all stopped at a pizza shop and ate lunch there. Wilbur and Tommy talked excitedly to one another, Philza occasionally having to step in when their play became too rambunctious. All the while, Techno quietly ate his pizza, seemingly unaware of his surroundings. </p><p>“Is something wrong, kiddo?” Philza asked quietly. Techno looked up at Philza, nodded, then fell silent again. “Did something happen earlier? You’ve been quiet for a while now.” Techno looked up again, this time seeming more attentive. </p><p>“It’s nothing,” Techno replied in his usual monotone voice. “I’m just thinking.”</p><p>“Thinking? About what?”</p><p>Techno remained silent for a moment before speaking up again. “I just feel a little embarrassed I guess.” Philza raised an eyebrow at Techno, unsure what he meant. Noticing Philza’s confusion, Techno continued, “I’m 13 and 13 year olds don’t normally buy costumes and plush toys.” </p><p>“I’m 16 and I have a bunch of stuffed toys,” Wilbur added suddenly. “Besides, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wearing a costume. That just means you have a vivid imagination – not a bad thing at all.”</p><p>Techno didn’t say anything for a moment, but then looked up at Wilbur with a small smile. “Thank you, Wilbur.” Wilbur looked shocked for a moment, then smiled widely. </p><p>“While everyone is still attentive,” Philza interrupted. “Once we drop everything off at home, I thought we could all go to the park. Are you all in?” Wilbur smiled a little, but before he could reply, Tommy started cheering ecstatically. “You can even try on your costume, Techno. The park is always empty.”</p><p>After finishing, Philza drove the family home. They then unloaded all of the shopping into the house, trying to pack things away quickly so as to not irritate Tommy. As they did so, Tommy noticed that there was a pig plush among the shopping, the same one he had picked out. He seemed confused as he vividly remembered Techno putting it back, but was quickly distracted as Philza announced that they were leaving soon. They then walked to the park, which was not too far from their house and was among the forest. Techno, wearing his cape and crown, awkwardly trailed behind Philza. </p><p>When they arrived, the park was completely empty just as Philza had said it would be. Tommy immediately ran to the climbing frame and Wilbur trailed behind him, anticipating Tommy would need his help at some point. Philza sat down on a bench, pulling out his tablet. Techno waited for a moment, then nervously walked over to the swings. He sat on it, swaying gently as he stared at his feet. </p><p>“What are you doing,” an unfamiliar voice spoke. Techno flinched, then looked up to see a boy with ginger hair. As Techno looked up, the boy in front of him had a sudden look of shock on his face, mixed with a hint of fear. </p><p>“I’m swinging,” Techno said anxiously, looking away again. The ginger boy’s expression relaxed, instead tilting his head in confusion. He stood in front of Techno quietly for a moment with a contemplative look on his face, then sat on the swing next to Techno. </p><p>“My name is Fundy,” the kid spoke suddenly. He looked nervous for some reason, but forced a smile as he spoke. “What’s your name?”</p><p>“I’m Techno,” he replied shyly. Fundy pushed himself to and fro using the heel of his feet, moving a little more energetically than Techno.</p><p>“What’s your favourite animal?” Fundy asked out of the blue. </p><p>“I like pigs I guess,” Techno responded, his thumbs anxiously rubbing the chains of the swing. </p><p>Fundy looked at Techno quizzically, then forced another smile. “I like foxes,” he added, to which Techno glanced up with a surprised expression. Fundy then stood up from the swing. “It was nice meeting you, Techno. I’m afraid I have to go now though.”</p><p>Techno didn’t want to say, but he was glad. For some reason, Fundy gave him an uneasy feeling. Fundy walked a few paces away, then stopped, his back facing Techno. “I hope you’re happy now, king,” he said under his breath, unaware that Techno could still hear him. He then walked away, not looking back. After Fundy had exited the park, Wilbur and Tommy ran up to Techno. </p><p>“Are you okay?” Wilbur asked in a slight panic. “That kid didn’t say anything mean or something, did he?” Techno shook his head, still a little confused by the situation. Wilbur exhaled in relief. He then suddenly leapt at Techno, hugging him tightly. “I was so worried that kid was gonna say something. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help.” Wilbur then let go, looking away in the direction Fundy had left. “I’ve never seen that kid here before. Usually it’s just us in this park.” </p><p>Philza approached the boys. “Is everything okay?” The boys all nodded, though Philza could tell there was a level of tension surrounding them, especially Techno. Philza smiled gently. “It’s been a long day. Let’s go home, shall we?” The boys all agreed, so the four of them walked home together. When they were about halfway home, Wilbur felt someone reach out and hold his hand. He looked and to his surprise, it was Techno’s hand. Techno looked away nervously, but Wilbur softly gripped his hand in return. Tommy, jealous of the attention, grabbed Wilbur’s spare hand pouting. Philza glanced over his shoulder at them, then chuckled to himself. </p><p>Once the family got home, they ate dinner and played some card games together. When it was late, Philza encouraged the boys to go to bed. Just before Techno left the kitchen, he stopped, turning his head round.</p><p>“Thank you for everything…dad” Techno said shakily before disappearing into his room. Philza stood there dumbfounded, then smiled warmly, walking into his room with a warm feeling in his chest. </p><p>Techno laid on his back fully awake, staring at the ceiling anxiously. His throat became dry, prompting him to go into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He starting drinking, chugging the water down. He then wiped away the excess water from his mouth, glancing out the window. He felt a wave of unease as he saw what appeared to be a dark silhouette with two white glowing eyes staring at him from outside. Techno rubbed his tired eyes, then looked again to find that the shadowy figure was gone. Returning to his room, he once again stared at the ceiling. Figuring that it was just his imagination, Techno closed his eyes, eventually drifting off to sleep.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Monsters and Knights</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Techno woke up to the sound of fast footsteps. Rubbing his eyes, he quickly dashed out of bed, opening his door to see what was happening. He saw Philza, running around in a panic, a stark contrast to his usual calm demeanour. Upon hearing the door open, Philza looked over his shoulder at Techno with fear in his eyes.</p><p>“Techno,” he shakily  in a raised voice. “Do you know where Tommy is?” Techno shook his head, still half asleep. His reply only deepened the fear in Philza’s eyes. Techno slowly walked into the kitchen as Philza paced back an forth, joining an anxious Wilbur, who was sat on the table with his beanie in front of him. Philza mumbled to himself, trying to figure out what to do. He needed to get Wilbur to school, but he didn’t want to leave Techno alone while he searched for Tommy. </p><p>“Wilbur,” Philza spoke up suddenly, causing Wilbur to perk up. “Can you start getting ready for school?”</p><p>Wilbur fiddled with his fingers. “But dad, what about…”</p><p>“Please Wilbur,” Philza pleaded somewhat sternly. “I’ll go look for your brother, but I need you to be ready by the time I get back.” Noting Philza’s stress, Wilbur silently complied. After Wilbur left, Philza turned to the table, about to give instructions to Techno. As he began to speak his name, however, he noticed Techno and Wilbur’s beanie were both missing, the back door now open. Philza’s heart dropped. Without thinking, he bolted out of the back door, summoned his wings and flew away into the forest.</p><p>Techno jogged into the forest, listening carefully in order to hear any voices he could. For a while, all he could hear was the sound of the gentle breeze against the leaves, his feet quietly pounding against the grass and dirt. He then suddenly stopped, hearing distant chattering. Standing still, he closed his eyes, trying to figure out where the voices were coming from. He then walked towards the voices, his feet silent as they made contact with the ground. </p><p>As he approached an opening in the forest, he ducked behind a tree, quietly observing the scene happening in front of him. He saw the back of a blonde haired boy – who he recognised to be Tommy – sat on the floor in front of a brunette boy, who seemed to be a similar age to Tommy. Techno quietly approached, but stopped suddenly on impulse. Behind the brunette appeared a black shadow, oozing slowly and growing closer to the two young boys. It gradually grew bigger, looming from behind the brunette. From amidst the shadow appeared two white piercing eyes. The shadow slowly began to take on a form – a dark creature with small horns, bat-like wings that spread out a great distance and curved around the brunette child like a shield and a blood-red halo that glowed from above the creature’s head. Surrounding him was a dark mist that enveloped all the light from around it like a vacuum, steadily increasing in size. As Tommy looked up, his body began to grow cold, light escaping from his eyes as he stared at the creature fearfully. </p><p>Instinctively, Technoblade ran forward, opening his arms and covering Tommy from the monster. Techno closed his eyes, anxiously protecting Tommy with his body. </p><p>“Cut it out, Bad!” an unfamilar voice spoke, causing Techno to flinch a little. “He’s my friend and you’re scaring him.”</p><p>The forest fell silent.</p><p>“He’s…your friend?” another voice spoke eventually, though this one less soft and more ominous than the prior voice. </p><p>“Yes, he’s my friend. I promise he isn’t here to hurt me.” At once, Techno felt a gentle finger poking his shoulder. Reluctantly, Techno opened his eyes and relaxed his posture. He looked up at the brunette boy, who smiled gently at him. Tommy also raised his head, watching as the shadowy creature rapidly reduced in size and became a more defined shape. </p><p>“I’m sorry, Tubbo,” the creature spoke, though this time in a soft, somewhat high pitched voice. “I didn’t know these two were your friends.”</p><p>The creature had a somewhat humanoid silhouette and was just a little shorter than Philza. He was dark in complexion, wearing a black and red hoodie and sweatpants. He had his hood pulled up over his horns - which formed two small points his hood - and a white glowing ring hovered above his head. He also had a narrow tail with a point at the end, which was wagging behind him nervously. He still had the same white eyes, but they were somehow now much easier to look at. </p><p>Techno stood up, standing just slightly in front of Tommy with one arm extended in front of him protectively. Tommy then stood up, hunched over a little and hiding behind Techno slightly, still a little off guard from what happened. Techno looked at the creature with a sternness in his eyes, which seemed to make the creature nervous. </p><p>“I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to scare you,” the creature spoke, waving his arms out in front of him anxiously. “I just noticed Tubbo was missing and when I saw the kid near him, I panicked and assumed he was some sort of bully.”</p><p>Relaxing his posture, Tommy stood more upright, now smiling cautiously. “It’s okay,” he spoke, then lowered Techno’s arm and walked a little in front of him. “My name is Tommy and I’m Toby’s friend.”</p><p>The creature smiled gently. “I go by Badboyhalo, but most people call me Bad.”</p><p>Tubbo smirked playfully. “I’m the only one you talk to, Bad.” Bad shyly chuckled. “I don’t know who you are, though,” Tubbo said, looking at Techno.</p><p>Techno pulled the beanie on his head down, trying to secure it more firmly on his head. “My name is Techno.”</p><p>“That’s a weird name,” Bad said somewhat playfully.</p><p>“Your name isn’t exactly normal, either,” Techno said bluntly with a hint of anger behind his voice. Tommy then reached out and held Techno’s hand in a loose grip. </p><p>“It’s okay, Techno,” he said calmly. “If Tubbo isn’t scared of him, I’m not either. You don’t have to be mad.” Techno looked down at Tommy, though the fierceness of his glance caused Tommy to flinch. </p><p>Techno remained silent for a moment before speaking up. “Do you know how worried everyone was when you went missing? Philza was pacing around the kitchen like a madman. Couldn’t you at least have said something?”</p><p>Tommy looked down at his feet guiltily. “Philza would never let me out here,” he replied in a sad voice. “He says the forest is too dangerous for a kid like me. When I got lost out here for the first time, he became super strict about it.” He then looked up at Techno with a determined look. “But then I met Tubbo and he was super nice! He was the first friend I ever had.”</p><p>“What about Wilbur? Isn’t he your friend?” Techno enquired. </p><p>“He’s my brother, it’s different. Tubbo and I got along as soon as we met. And so I kept sneaking out to meet him. I wanted to come home before Philza noticed, but I guess I lost track of time.” Tommy then looked back to the floor. </p><p>Techno sighed. “Well whatever. We need to go home now though. You have school today, right?”</p><p>“It’s not fair!” Tommy suddenly said in a whiny voice. “Tubbo doesn’t have to go to school, so why should I?”</p><p>“That’s not entirely true,” Bad suddenly said, placing a hand on Tubbo’s head. “I teach Tubbo from home, so it’s not like he never does any work. But Techno is right – your family is worried sick about you, so you should probably go home now. I can show you the way if you are lost.”</p><p>Techno wanted to ask how Bad would know where they lived, but then he suddenly remembered what he saw last night. Connecting the dots, he kept quiet about it. </p><p>“It’s okay,” Techno replied, his tone now more calm. “I can take us home. Besides, I reckon Philza is looking for us about now. It’s only a matter of time before he finds us.” Taking Tommy’s hand in a firm grip, Techno led Tommy away, leaving Bad and Tubbo in a stunned silence before they began to walk in the opposite direction. </p><p>After walking for about 10 minutes, Techno began to get nervous. He thought he could guide the two of them home, but as his eyes anxiously darted around his surroundings, he realised he had no idea where he was anymore. Noticing an opening in the forest, he thought it would be best to go there and wait for Philza to find them. He led Tommy to the opening, then paused for a moment as he took in what he saw. At the bottom of the hill lay a large building, completely wrecked and crumbled. Tommy’s eyes widened when he saw it. </p><p>“What is that?” Tommy asked somewhat excitedly. But Techno didn’t respond. Something about the building made his head feel like it was constricting. He took a few steps back, placing a hand on his head. </p><p>“Techno!” a voice cried out. Techno snapped out of his daze, looking back to see Wilbur, dressed in his school uniform, run out from among the forest. “There you are! And Tommy’s here, too!”</p><p>“What are you doing here?” Techno asked, removing his hand from his head. </p><p>“I could ask you the same question you know,” Wilbur said in a frustrated voice. “I went into the kitchen and everyone had gone. I saw my beanie was missing and I had this awful feeling that you had run off. I quickly looked around the house and, as I figured, you had. So I came out here to look for you. What were you thinking?”</p><p>Techno looked away from Wilbur, not sure of how to answer. As Techno scrambled for an answer, he heard distant footsteps from the same direction Wilbur was standing. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a distant green figure. Assuming it was Philza, he jogged a couple paces forward, passing Wilbur, but then stopped once he realised he didn’t recognise the person approaching. </p><p>“Techno, are you even listening to…” Wilbur walked closer to Techno, but stopped a small distance behind Techno was he realised what he was looking at. Tommy jogged towards them, standing next to Wilbur and holding his hand. </p><p>The figure drew nearer, close enough for distinct features to be seen. He wore a bright green hoodie, with the hood pulled up over his head. The most distinct feature though was a mask covering the person’s face. It was cracked and worn, but a cartoonish smile could be seen on it. </p><p>The person stopped a few feet away from the brothers, his attention seemingly fixed on Techno. For some reason, the pain that Techno had in his head increased staring at this boy, even though he was sure he didn’t know him. He began to tremble a little, a sense of fear overtaking him.</p><p>“Long time no see, Technoblade,” the boy spoke. He tilted his head a little, then chuckled. “You know, everyone seems to be afraid of you, but without that mask of yours, it’s you who looks afraid.”</p><p>Letting go of Tommy’s hand, Wilbur stood out in front of Techno, extending a protective hand in front of him. “Who are you? What do you want?” The hooded boy stepped forward, pushing Wilbur to the side and coming face to face with Techno. </p><p>“Typical of you to have found more pawns for your selfish gains, you filthy king,” the boy spoke threateningly. </p><p>“P-Please,” Techno stuttered. “I don’t know who you are or what you mean, but please leave my fa…friends alone.” The hooded boy tilted his head again, then chuckled. </p><p>“Really now? You’re playing the amnesia card this time?” he said playfully. He then lowered his head, his hood casting a shadow on his mask. “I’m not playing along this time, Technoblade. You know exactly who I am.”</p><p>“What is he talking about, Techno?” Wilbur said anxiously. </p><p>“You poor thing,” the boy spoke menacingly. “He’s played you for a fool, but this king cares about himself and no one else.” </p><p>Before anyone could react, the boy placed a hand on his face, taking his mask off slowly. As more of his face revealed, Techno felt his stomach drop. The boy had a myriad of burns and cuts on his face, almost to the point where he was unrecognisable as a human. Wilbur looked over at Techno worriedly, afraid and confused as to what was happening. Tommy ran behind Wilbur, his arms wrapping around his older brother as he buried his face into Wilbur’s back. </p><p>Techno backed away, his body trembling uncontrollably. He then felt a sharp and sudden pain in his head, causing him to grasp it with both hands and scream as he hunched over, to which Wilbur looked over at him in terror. </p><p>“Techno, are you okay?” Wilbur called out. </p><p>“Oh please, he’s clearly faking it,” the hooded boy said in annoyance. Wilbur then looked at the boy scowling.</p><p>“Shut up,” Wilbur said with a darkness in his eyes, catching the hooded boy off guard. “I don’t know who you think you are, but if you dare hurt my family, I’ll make you pay for it.”<br/>
The boy seemed somewhat intimidated by the boy’s words. He then sighed. </p><p>“Fine,” he said defeatedly before placing the mask back over his face. “I‘ll humour you this one time, but if I see that ruthless pig again, I won’t hold back.” Wilbur looked surprised for a brief moment, but then returned to his prior facial expression. </p><p>The boy turned, walking a few paces away, then stopped. “Oh, and by the way,” he said, looking back over his shoulder. “The name is Dream.” He then turned his head back around and walked off. As soon as he was a good distance away, Wilbur and Tommy ran over to Techno, who was crouched on the floor, hugging himself with his head tucked in and mumbling something to himself. </p><p>“Techno, it’s okay, everything is okay,” Wilbur said calmly. He tried to place a hand on Techno’s shoulder, but as he did, Techno tensed up and whimpered. Wilbur crouched beside Techno, trying to comfort him. Eventually, Techno stopped mumbling and was no longer trembling, but he remained tightly tucked in a ball. Wilbur slowly placed a hand on Techno’s back, and since there was no adverse reaction, he gently began to rub Techno’s back, hoping to calm him down enough so that he’d emerge. </p><p>All of a sudden, a shadow was cast on the boys, causing Wilbur to stop and look up. In front of them was Philza, who looked down at them with a stern expression. He then sighed, his expression softening. He crouched down in front of the boys, placing his hand softly on Techno’s head. </p><p>“It’s okay, Techno,” he reassured him, gently rustling his hair, to which Techno looked up, his eyes slightly watery. Philza then stood up, walking over to Tommy, who closed his eyes in anticipation of being punished, but Philza simply picked him up without saying a word. “Come on boys, let’s go home.”</p><p>Wilbur stood up, offering a hand out to Techno. He hesitated for a moment, then took Wilbur’s hand and stood up. The four of them began walking towards the forest, with Techno firmly grasping Wilbur’s hand. But as they walked a few paces away, Techno suddenly lost his balance, causing Wilbur to have to pull him up.</p><p>“Woah Techno, are you okay?” Wilbur said. Techno nodded, so they continued.</p><p>Wilbur looked at Techno worriedly, unsure of what to do. After taking a couple of steps forward, Techno collapsed again, this time blacking out completely.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Hide and Seek</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Is he gonna be okay, dad?” Wilbur asked concerned, standing with Philza at the end of Techno’s bed. Philza ruffled Wilbur’s hair. </p><p>“It’s just a fever, don’t worry,” Philza replied. “He’ll be better in no time. Now come on, we have to get you and your brother to school.” Reluctantly, Wilbur left the room with Philza leaving after him. He didn’t want to leave Techno home alone, but he figured he’d be back in time before Techno woke up. After the boys had gotten ready, Philza left the house with them, making certain he had locked every door and window in the house just in case Techno should wake up. </p><p>As the door closed, Techno slowly opened his eyes. He weakly sat up in his bed, trying to figure out what had happened. He saw a silhouette at the end of his bed, standing there quietly, cluelessly looking around the room as if it were confused. Technoblade squinted his eyes, trying to figure out who it was, though it was too dark to tell. </p><p>“Tommy?” Techno said weakly. The figure flinched, making a strange noise before it suddenly vanished into thin air. Techno started blankly for a while, then shook his head in confusion. He placed his hand against his forehead before quickly recoiling at the heat he felt – he had a fever. Despite feeling dazed, Techno stood up, wanting to find someone else in the house. He walked into the kitchen, but hid behind the door as he saw something in the kitchen that he didn’t recognise. Now slightly more awake, Techno peered at the figure, analysing its appearance before he made his move as he didn’t want to startle it. </p><p>The figure was about the same height as Tommy and looks somewhat human, though he had a narrow tail with a tuft of fur on the end, sort of like a lion. The creature had worn out jeans and a dirty black hoodie on. His hair looked like human hair, but was oddly split into two halves – half white, half black. Techno could only see the creature from behind, but he assumed that if he tried to approach the creature, it would possibly disappear, that is if his prior experience was not that of a dream. </p><p>Techno quietly snuck back into his room, picked up his pig plushie, then walked back to the kitchen, sliding the plushie on the floor. The plushie stopped in front of the creature, who flinched a little, but then looked at the plush. The creature knelt down, reaching out a dark hand to pick up the plush. As soon as he touched it, the plush suddenly vanished, causing the creature to fall backwards in surprise. The creature began to make sounds that sounded like distress, though it didn’t teleport away. Techno, slightly upset at what happened, tried to remain calm.</p><p>“Hey,” Techno spoke in a soft voice. The creature tensed up, but Techno quickly spoke again. “Don’t go! It’s okay!” The creature didn’t move for a second, but it slowly turned its head around. The side of his face was completely black and his eye was an emerald green. For some reason, his eye looked like it was melting. </p><p>“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Techno asked slowly approaching the creature. </p><p>“D-Don’t,” the creature said in a panicked yet quiet voice. “Don’t get too close. I don’t want to hurt you.”</p><p>Techno tilted his head. “Hurt me?” Techno took another step forward, extending his head to the creature. “Here, let me help you up.” The creature looked at Techno’s hand, but refused to hold it, looking away nervously. </p><p>“My name is Techno, what is your’s?” Techno asked. The creature fiddled his fingers for a moment. </p><p>“Ranboo,” it said quietly. “I am called Ranboo.”</p><p>Techno awkwardly scratched his chin. “Uhm, you look like a human boy, but you also don’t look human at the same time – what are you exactly?”</p><p>“I’m a boy…and I think I’m kind of a human…maybe,” Ranboo replied anxiously. </p><p>Techno was confused, but he somehow understood Ranboo’s uncertainty. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Ranboo. Where are you from?” Techno asked, getting nervous as he attempted to make small talk. </p><p>“I…I don’t know,” Ranboo replied. “Or more accurate to say I don’t remember.” Techno stared at Ranboo in shock, not expecting the answer he got. </p><p>“You have amnesia, too?” Techno said, his voice getting slightly louder as he lost control of himself. Ranboo looked up at Techno, then looked away, shyly nodding. Techno quickly knelt down beside him, to which he made a startled noise, then Techno excitedly grabbed Ranboo’s hand. </p><p>The creature vanished. But as Techno looked around, he realised he was now in the middle of the forest. Techno eventually stood up, looking around in confusion. Just a moment ago, he was at home talking to Ranboo, but now he was in the forest. Techno slowly began to feel his body increase in weight, feeling a little dizzy. </p><p>“My pig,” he said suddenly. “I-I need to find my pig or Philza will freak out.” Techno sluggishly walked around the forest, completely unsure of where he was. He looked up at the trees, down at the ground - wherever he could think to look - but to no avail. He somehow found himself back at the opening of the forest where the destroyed building lay. </p><p>Feeling as though his legs were about to give out, Techno sat down, leaning against a tree. He suddenly felt something bounce off his head and onto the floor next to him. It was an apple core. Confused, Techno looked up and saw a boy sat in the tree, someone he’d never seen before. The boy looked to be the same age, or perhaps older, than Wilbur. </p><p>“W-Who are you?” Techno asked nervously. The boy looked down at Techno, then looked away again.</p><p>“Someone who is playing hide and seek at the moment and doesn’t want to be found,” the boy replied quite bluntly. He then sighed. “Oh well, it’s about time I moved hiding place anyway.” The boy suddenly jumped down, startling Techno. He moved the glasses from his face onto the top of his head and looked down at Techno, who appeared to be flushed. The boy walked a few paces away, then looked over his shoulder at Techno. “Are you coming?” </p><p>Techno tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”</p><p>The boy smiled. “You’re looking for something as well, aren’t you?” Techno tensed up a little, startled at how the boy knew. “I heard you mumbling something about a pig? I’ll help you look for one. I am just as good a seeker as I am a hider. Probably best we deal with that before it becomes night.”</p><p>“N-Not just any pig,” Techno replied. “It’s uhm…a plushie.”</p><p>“A plushie? Got it, I’ll help you look. Follow me – I know this forest like the back of my hand.” Techno shyly walked behind the boy, who began scanning the forest to look for the toy. “So, mind telling me what an ill kid like you is doing in the middle of the forest with a pig plushie?”</p><p>Techno scrunched his face a little. “Uhm, I’m not really sure. This probably sounds dumb, but I think some creature came into my house and teleported me out here, but my pig ended up somewhere else.”</p><p>“You mean like an enderman?” The boy replied. </p><p>“Enderman?” Techno replied confused. </p><p>“Tall, dark creatures with purple eyes? I think they appear in this forest a lot.”</p><p>Techno shook his head, though the boy couldn’t see since he was faced away. “He looked like a small boy, but he had black and white hair and- “</p><p>“Ohh,” the boy replied before Techno could finish. “I think I know who – or rather – what you’re talking about. I’d stay away from that thing if I were you. It seems like it could really hurt someone.”</p><p>“Hurt someone? That timid thing?” Techno replied, almost as though he found the idea comical. “That kid doesn’t seem like he could harm a bee.”</p><p>“Well, that ‘kid’ teleported you all the way out here, right? Even if it didn’t mean to, that thing can be pretty dangerous.”</p><p>“Have you seen him before or something?” Techno asked in a somewhat irritated tone. </p><p>“Maybe a couple times,” the boy replied nonchalantly, ignoring Techno’s tone. “My friend has seen it more than I have. He said he saw it pulling a terrifying face to frighten a girl who got lost here.”</p><p>“A girl? Who?” Techno enquired curiously. </p><p>The boy chuckled. “I may have lived out here a long time, but I don’t know everything. Not even my friend knew who she was, and none of us have seen her since. Guess that ‘kid’ scared her off for good.” The two of them kept walking for a bit in silence before the older boy suddenly stopped.</p><p>“I have a confession to make,” he said suddenly. He turned to look at Techno. “I’m actually colourblind, so it’s entirely possible that we have already walked past the pig you’re looking for and I’ve just not seen it.”</p><p>“Huh?” Techno said mildly irritated. </p><p>“Sorry, I probably should have mentioned before. Actually, I was sort of more focused walking back towards my treehouse than finding the plush toy. You didn’t look well, and I didn’t really want to leave you out here by yourself with all the monsters out here.” The boy looked up and, to Techno’s surprise, there was a treehouse. It looked somewhat rustic, but it seemed as though it probably kept whoever lived inside safe. </p><p>Techno heard another pair of footsteps approaching. He saw a figure walking towards them slowly from a distance. Before Techno could make out the figure, he felt his legs give way and suddenly passed out. </p><p>Eventually Techno came back to his senses, feeling himself bobbing up and down as though he were walking, but he wasn’t moving. He opened his eyes slowly, realising that he was being carried on someone’s back, though his vision was still a bit blurry.</p><p>“W-Where…” he spoke softly. </p><p>“Don’t worry, I’m taking you home,” a familiar voice spoke sharply, though Techno couldn’t figure out who it was. The two of them stayed silent for a while. “You’re a lot lighter than I expected,” the voice spoke again. </p><p>“Who…are you?” Techno asked, somewhat afraid of the answer. The boy stayed silent for a moment. </p><p>“I’m not doing this because I’ve forgiven you,” he replied, trying to dodge the question. “George just seemed really worried about you. He said I should take you home while he looked for your ‘pig’, whatever that means.” The boy went quiet again for a moment before continuing. “I didn’t wanna have to serve you like a king, but I can’t say no to George. This won’t happen again, okay? If I had found you myself, I’d have just left you on the forest floor.”</p><p>Techno lingered on the boy’s words before having an epiphany. “Wait, are you Dream?” The boy fell silent again, which confirmed Techno’s suspicions. </p><p>“Don’t read too much into this. I still hate you.” Techno could now see his house getting closer. “Oh, and George said I should tell you to stay away from that ‘Ranboo’ guy. That kid is a weirdo.” Dream walked up to the back door of the house, then knelt down to put Techno on the floor. </p><p>“I’m pretty sure that ‘Philza’ person will be home soon if he isn’t already. Good luck explaining to him how you got here. See ya, tyrant king.” Dream then immediately walked away with his hands in his pockets and his hood up. Techno then heard the sound of a door unlocking then opening. </p><p>“Techno, there you are!” Philza said in a panicked voice. “How on earth did you get out here?”</p><p>“An enderman I think,” Techno replied calmly. Philza looked confused, but he didn’t push it since he was so relieved to find Techno. </p><p>“Come on, let’s go back inside.” Philza picked Techno up, bringing him back into his room and onto his bed. “Your clothes are filthy. Get into some clean ones and I’ll wash these ones.” Philza placed some fresh pyjamas on Techno’s bed, then left the room so he could change. Philza brought in a glass of water and some medication, then helped Techno to take it. After encouraging Techno to get some rest, Philza left the room. Soon afterwards, Techno fell asleep. </p><p>He once again entered into a dream, though this time only a goat appeared. It looked up at Techno, then moved its mouth, but no sound came out. It then turned and ran away before Techno could ask it to repeat itself. Techno felt something against his leg, so he looked down. It was a pig with a crown on its head nuzzling his leg playfully. Techno knelt down to pet the pig, but it got started and strangely began shouting in Tommy’s voice.</p><p>Techno suddenly woke up to the sound of Tommy yelling excitedly. Rubbing his eyes, Techno stood up and decided to go into the kitchen to get some water. Philza looked up at Techno entering the room, then smiled. </p><p>“Are you feeling better, kiddo?” he asked, to which Techno nodded. “Come take a seat – I just finished making pizza.”</p><p>Techno joined them at the table, patiently waiting for Philza to serve the meal to them. Wilbur set the cutlery on the table as Philza put the pizza on each of the plates, serving it to everyone. As soon as everyone started eating, Philza smiled.</p><p>“So how was school, boys?” he asked cheerily. </p><p>“It was boring,” Tommy said before filling his mouth with pizza. </p><p>“It was okay,” Wilbur added. “I made a friend today.”</p><p>“Wilbur has friends?” Tommy said teasingly. </p><p>Wilbur scowled. “He asked if I can go to his house to play some games. Is that okay?”</p><p>“As long as his parents are okay with it, I can get you to his house,” Philza replied. </p><p>“Ah, no need. He lives quite close to the school – I can walk there and get back here on my own.” Philza smiled and nodded in agreement. </p><p>“Can I bring my friend Toby here then?” Tommy asked, which caused Techno to look up curiously. “He lives near here.”</p><p>“If his parents are okay bringing him here then I’m okay with that,” Philza replied. “Anyways, now that we have that settled, I have some exciting news of my own!” Everyone looked up at Philza excitedly. </p><p>“What is it?” Tommy said, swinging his legs under the table. </p><p>“I’m happy to announce that I’ve sorted out Techno’s documents – he is officially part of our family!”</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Just a Crazy Person</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Techno woke up early, before his alarm clock went off. Today was the day he was going to start his at home education with Philza, which made him nervous but also excited at the same time. After rubbing his eyes, Techno walked into the kitchen and went to get a glass so he could drink some water, but was interrupted by a tapping noise at the window. He climbed onto the kitchen countertops, then looked out the window to see a young boy holding his pig plushie. The boy had a shirt with a fire logo on it and wore a white bandana around his forehead. Techno ignored the boy’s outlandish outfit excitedly opened the window, which allowed the boy to throw the plushie up for him to catch. After getting the plushie, the boy outside turned and ran into the forest. Though he was confused, Techno decided not to question it and instead closed the window and hopped off of the countertop. </p><p>Techno sat at the table, nervously twiddling his thumbs as he waited for everyone to wake up. Suddenly, Ranboo appeared in the kitchen, causing Techno to fall back off of his chair. He shakily looked up at Ranboo, who anxiously looked back at him. </p><p>“Hey, are you okay?” Ranboo asked in a panicked voice. </p><p>Techno sat up, rubbing his head a little. “Just perfect, thank you,” he replied sarcastically. “What are you doing here anyway?”</p><p>“Well, I actually came to apologise. After I made your pig disappear yesterday, I felt awful, so I tried looking for it. I eventually saw it on the forest floor, but an older kid wearing glasses started shooting arrows at me, so I got scared and ended up teleporting into a random bush.”</p><p>Techno stared at Ranboo with an unimpressed expression, then sighed. “Whatever, I have the plush now, so you don’t have to worry about that.”</p><p>Ranboo’s eyes lit up, his tail dancing around excitedly. “You got it back? How?” His tail then drooped. “You didn’t have to fight those older kids, did you?”</p><p>Techno grew curious. “You know them?”</p><p>Ranboo looked away awkwardly. “Well, sort of. The first time I ever saw them I was with a girl who I had just made friends with. A creeper came out of nowhere and without thinking I spat a fire ball out at the creeper and killed it. I didn’t mean to, but suddenly the masked boy started waving a sword in my face while the glasses boy took the girl by the hand and ran away with her. I haven’t seen her since.” He looked up at Techno anxiously. “I think they kidnapped her.”</p><p>“How long ago was this?” Techno asked. </p><p>“Uhm, maybe like a week ago?” Ranboo replied. “I had met up with the girl a few times – she was really nice. She even gave me a glove for my left hand. And she-”</p><p>“Wait, why is the left glove significant?” Techno interrupted. </p><p>“My hands seem to have some…weird properties. My left hand – the white one – seems to be a lot hotter than a human’s hand. When I try to touch something, it burns it, so she got me some heat proof gloves for it. My right hand teleports anything I touch, so one went missing. It’s wildly inconvenient. I took the glove off because my hands started burning it to pieces. I suppose it was just a temporary solution while I looked for my old gloves.” Ranboo then paused and had a look of realisation. “The burned building.”</p><p>Techno got nervous. “The building? What about it?”</p><p>“I don’t know why but I just remembered that I think I left my gloves there - my original gloves I mean. I remember that I have some special gloves and so I’ve been looking for them. Mind you, I don’t really remember anything about them since I forgot everything recently, but I know I had some special gloves. I didn’t think of looking there for them because I don’t think I’ve ever been to that building, but maybe I should check since it’s the one place I haven’t looked.”</p><p>“I could help you look,” Techno offered shyly. “You know, since you did try to find my pig for me.”</p><p>Ranboo got excited again. “Thank you!” He then ran up to Techno, throwing his arms around him. All of a sudden, Techno found himself in the middle of the forest. </p><p>He signed. “That kid never learns, does he?” Techno calmly stood up and brushed the dirt off of him. He then heard the sound of footprints, so he ran behind a tree and peered round from behind it to look in the direction the noise came from. He then saw a young man appear, seemingly lost. He wore a bright hoodie and seemed to be holding a book in his hand. Techno stepped to try and get a closer look, but accidentally stepped on a twig, causing the man to turn and look. The man looked surprised for a second, then smiled gently. </p><p>“Hello! You’re Technoblade, right?” the man asked, to which Techno tensed up. </p><p>“How did you know that? Who are you?”</p><p>The man looked into the distance briefly, then smiled nervously at Techno. “I guess I’m just your average crazy person.” Now seeing the front of the person, Techno saw that he wore a pocket watch attached to a necklace. The man then then walked toward Techno, but stopped when he realised Techno was getting anxious. </p><p>“Why is a random dude walking in the forest with a book and pocket watch? You don’t even look like you have any weapons. Don’t you know there are monsters out here?” </p><p>The man smiled. “Don’t worry, I don’t intend to stay here for long. I am just here for a quick visit.” He paused for a second. “My name is Karl by the way. I’m not really from around here. I actually wanted to talk to you.” </p><p>Techno scowled. “You, a random grown man, want to talk to me? Why?”</p><p>“It’s about your past actually. You don’t remember it, right?”</p><p>Techno, surprised that he knew, nodded anxiously. “How did you know that?”</p><p>Karl laughed a little. “I have my ways. I’m a crazy person, remember? Anyway, I just wanted to know what you were going to do about it.”</p><p>“Do about it?” Techno replied, tilting his head in confusion. </p><p>Karl’s expression became more serious. “Are you going to start your life anew with your found family? Or will you search for clues to your past?” He then flashed a bittersweet smile. “If you choose to pursue the truth, I urge you to do so cautiously. Sometimes knowing the truth can have consequences. You may end up down a spiralling rabbit hole and once you are in, it can be difficult to get out. Be careful – you never know what you will have to sacrifice if you go in too deep.”</p><p>Techno felt an uneasiness as he heard Karl’s words. Though he didn’t know exactly what Karl meant or what he knew, it felt as though his advice was sound, especially given then he, a stranger, seemed to know more about Techno’s situation than Techno himself knew. </p><p>He opened the pocket watch, then looked startled and started to panic. “I spent too long here - I have to go!” Karl opened his book and a portal mysteriously appeared in front of Karl. “If you ever see me again, please pretend we never met!”</p><p>“Wait,” Techno said, reaching out a hand, but Karl was already halfway in the portal. As he was leaving, a small pocket book fell out of his back pocket, but in an instant both he and the portal disappeared. Techno stood there bewildered, completely in shock. He placed his hand on his forehead to check for a fever, then pinched his hand – this was real. He gingerly walked over to the pocket book, picking it up. He nervously opened the book, recoiling as it opened, but to his relief nothing happened. Techno began reading random pages from the book. It seemed to be written as though it were a diary, but the book spoke of fantasy situations – wars, rivalries, countries he had never heard of – but some of the names were familiar to him and he even found a few pages that included his name. Though the tales in the book seemed far-fetched, seeing his and others names in this book intrigued and confused Techno, so he thought it was best he held onto the book in case he ever saw Karl again in order to ask what the book was about. He put it in the square pocket of his pyjama top and began to walk around aimlessly until he somehow found himself at the opening of the forest where the building ruins were. He stared at it for a second before once again being startled as Ranboo appeared in front of him. </p><p>“Oh my goodness, I found you again! Are you okay?” Ranboo asked nervously, to which Techno nodded his head. Ranboo sighed in relief. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do this again. I just got really excited when you offered to help me. It’s been so long since someone has talked to me like this. No one has since…” Techno looked at Ranboo’s face, which now looked gloomy. </p><p>“Come on, let’s go look for your gloves,” Techno said, walking past Ranboo to head towards the rubble. Ranboo panicked briefly then followed behind Techno. “I think it’s best if I go through the rubble. Even if you find the gloves, you’ll just make them teleport away.” Ranboo obediently nodded in agreement. As they stood next to the start of the ruins, Techno suddenly felt a sudden wave of dread, causing him to take a few steps back. </p><p>“Are you okay?” Ranboo asked worriedly, snapping Techno out of his sudden daze. </p><p>“I’m okay. Let’s do this.” Techno took his first weary steps into the rubble, then gradually felt more comfortable to move freely. Ranboo hopped atop the bigger pieces of broken material, trying to see if he could spot his gloves while not touching anything. Though Techno was barely in the thick of the ruins, he began to feel a sharp throbbing pain in his head, causing him to hold his head tightly. He heard a ringing in his ear which slowly grew in intensity, causing him to sweat as his body became covered in pain. He took a few unsteady paces backwards before tripping and falling into a sitting position. All of a sudden his pain concentrated to a burning pain on his right shoulder, causing him to scream in pain. </p><p>“Ah, sorry!” Ranboo said suddenly, causing Techno to look up at him in a panic. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I looked back and saw you holding your head and it looked like you were in pain.” He lifted his hand up to look at it. “I forgot about my hand for a second. Sorry.”</p><p>Techno shakily stood up. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” </p><p>Ranboo looked sternly at Techno. “No, you’re not. But thankfully we can go soon.” Ranboo pointed a short distance away from them to a piece of rubble that had two gloves neatly laid on top of them. “I found them while I was jumping around looking. Convenient, right?”</p><p>“Yeah, that is odd.” Techno carefully navigated his way to the gloves, to which Ranboo jumped around nearby to get to the gloves as well. When they were both stood near the gloves, Techno stared at them for a second. One glove was black, the other was white. “These gloves seem eerily perfect for you.” </p><p>Ranboo smiled. “Yup!” He then reached for the gloves, to which Techno grabbed his wrist. </p><p>“Wait, what if they teleport away? Let me help you put them on.” Ranboo hesitated, then complied. They first put the white glove on, the heat radiating from his hands reminding Techno not to make contact. Once the glove was on, they worriedly stared at the other glove. Techno was unsure whether the glove would stay on, but Ranboo seemed oddly convinced it would be okay. After Techno had cautioned him a few times, the latter impulsively grabbed the glove with his left hand and carefully pulled the glove on. To Techno’s surprise, it didn’t teleport away. Techno stared in disbelief while Ranboo flexed his hands excitedly. </p><p>“Okay, we can go now!” Ranboo said, his tail wagging happily. Techno turned to face the forest again, then looked down at his feet as he tried to navigate the debris. Ranboo began to hop around again, though this time much faster. He landed on a large block of material near Techno, but his footing was off, causing him to stumble backwards. Instinctively, Techno reached out and grabbed Ranboo’s hand to stop him from falling. To his surprise, nothing happened. The two of them stared at their held hands, before Techno pulled Ranboo up. </p><p>“It didn’t teleport you,” Ranboo said flatly. “You’re still here.” The two of them remained silent before Ranboo threw his hands in the air. “It worked! The gloves worked!”</p><p>Techno became perplexed. “What do you mean they worked?”</p><p>“Ah well,” Ranboo lowered his hands and looked at them smiling. “I just had this weird hunch that these gloves were made to stop my powers from being out of control. I don’t know why, I just…felt like it would work. Maybe the reason I remembered them is because I used to wear these to control my powers.”</p><p>Techno raised an eyebrow, but then remembered something Karl had said. He stood quietly in place for a second, then shook his head – there was no need to ask questions. The two of them continued towards the forest and eventually made it out of the rubble. Ranboo then took the lead, successfully directing Techno home. Though Techno wanted to question Ranboo on why he knew how to navigate from the ruins to Philza’s house, he decided to leave it. Now he just needed to figure out how to get back in. Ranboo suggested that he teleport in to unlock the door for Techno, but before he could do that, he heard the back door unlocking and teleported away in fear. </p><p>“Techno, how on earth did you get out there?” Philza asked in a panic upon seeing the young boy. He ran over, then stopped for a second as he looked at Techno. He felt his heart sink a little. “Why are you covered in dust and ashes?”</p><p>Nervously, Techno avoided eye contact and he concocted a lie. “I must have sleep walked I guess?” Philza took Techno by the hand and led him inside without saying a word. He locked the back door and directed Techno to the kitchen table with Wilbur and Tommy. Philza then placed a plate of toast in front of each of them before wandering over to the glass doors and looking around outside. </p><p>While Wilbur and Tommy got changed after finishing their breakfast, Philza sighed then sat down on the chair opposite Techno. </p><p>“Did anyone see you?” Philza asked worriedly. </p><p>Not wishing to get in trouble, Techno shook his head. “It was just me. Why?” Philza pointed at Techno’s hair, to which Techno patted around and then froze once his hands made contact with his ears, suddenly realising that everyone he met had seen them. Philza took notice of his expression. </p><p>“Techno, I don’t want you to lie. I promise I won’t be upset if you tell the truth. What happened?” Philza seemed stern but had a kindness to his voice. </p><p>Techno looked down at the table. “I didn’t sleep walk,” he eventually replied. “An enderman came into the house and teleported me outside. I accidentally ended up at the ruins of that burned down building.”</p><p>“Did you go close to the ruins?” Philza asked patiently. </p><p>Techno hesitated before nodding. “I was curious, so I searched around with Ranboo and-“</p><p>“Who is Ranboo?” Philza interrupted. </p><p>Techno gulped. He didn’t mean to mention Ranboo, but he had felt so comfortable talking to Philza that he let it slip. “He uhm…he is the enderman.”</p><p>“An enderman spoke to you?” Philza paused for a moment, then had a look of realisation. “Is Ranboo a half enderman by any chance?” Techno nodded, to which Philza looked somewhat fascinated. “I saw him last night peering shyly through the back door window before he poofed away. I see. Since he came into the house, I’m assuming you talked to him?”</p><p>“Yeah. He came in yesterday too. He talked to me but then accidentally teleported both me and my pig outside. He came in earlier to apologise, but accidentally teleported me outside again.” Techno expected Philza to be upset, but instead he let out a hearty laugh.</p><p>“Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. That kid just sounds like a huge klutz and I thought it was a cute story.” Philza then had a more somber expression. “I was just worried that you were sneaking out because you didn’t want to be here. I don’t want you to get hurt is all.”</p><p>Techno met Philza’s eyes. “Don’t worry, I won’t get hurt. And I’ll try to stop going outside.”</p><p>Philza stood up and walked to Techno, then ruffled his hair. “Thank you, Techno. I’m sorry if I scared you. I just worry is all.” Wilbur and Tommy then emerged from their rooms, dressed up in their school uniform. “Well, on that note, I’m gonna take the boys to school. We will start our lessons when I get home, okay?”</p><p>Techno nodded and saw everyone out of the house, gingerly waving goodbye as Tommy yelled back excitedly. They got out the door and Philza closed it behind them. The house fell silent with Techno standing alone at the end of the hallway.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Hidden Talents</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Alright Techno,” Philza said cheerily, closing the math textbook he had been using for the past hour. “I think that’s enough actual learning for one day. There’s just one more lesson today.”</p><p>Techno scowled. “Didn’t you just say we had finished learning?” </p><p>Philza laughed. “Well yes, but this is something a little different.” All of a sudden, Philza sprouted his wings. “I’m going to teach you how to hide your animal features so that you don’t always have to wear a hat and you can change yourself at will.” Techno perked up a little. </p><p>Philza placed his hands on top of his own head. “So right now you can feel your ears on top of your head, right?” He then moved his hands and gently pinched his ears. “Put your hands where my ears are. Make your hands into a cup shape around that area and close your eyes. Focus on the feeling of the sound hitting your ears, the physical form of your ears. Now picture yourself with ears like mine, Wilbur’s and Tommy’s. Imagine yourself with them with all your might.” Techno scrunched his eyes, desperately trying to imagine it. All of a sudden the sounds he heard sounded more distorted. </p><p>“Now open your eyes,” Philza said. Techno pulled his hands away, looking up at a smiling Philza. “Go to the bathroom and have a good look in the mirror.”</p><p>Techno suddenly felt a rush of excitement, so he ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. There he saw his pig ears were now gone, but instead he had pointed ears on either side of his head. He ran back into the kitchen excitedly. </p><p>Techno grinned widely. “I did it!” </p><p>“Your ears still aren’t completely human like, but we can work on that. This is amazing for a first attempt – I’m so proud of you!” Philza retracted his wings, then walked over and ruffled Techno’s hair. “You know, I’m actually rather fond of these elf ears you have right now. They suit you.”</p><p>The front door suddenly burst open, causing Techno to flinch and make his pig ears return. </p><p>“I’m home,” Tommy yelled in an obnoxious voice. “And I have my friend with me!” Tommy walked into the kitchen with Tubbo closely behind him. Techno froze in place, unsure of what to do. Tubbo looked up at Techno’s ears and then smiled.</p><p>“You’re a half pig?” he asked excitedly, to which Techno shyly nodded. “That’s so cool! I wish I could do that.”</p><p>“But you can do something better, right?” Tommy added coyly, to which Tubbo began to look nervous. </p><p>Philza, jumping on the chance to draw the spotlight away from Techno, decided to humour Tommy. “Oh? What is it Tubbo can do then?”</p><p>Tubbo led everyone to the back door, which Philza opened for them. Tubbo then sat down on the grass. “Come,” he said calmly. Suddenly, a small swarm of bees surrounded him, though it didn’t faze him. “Go,” he said softly, to which all the bees flew away. Tommy looked boastfully at Techno, who had a mildly amazed expression. When Tommy looked up at Philza though, he was surprised to see he appeared unsettled. </p><p>“Philza, is something wrong?” Tommy asked. “Do you not like bees? If that’s the case, that’s okay! Tubbo can talk to all kinds of animals!” Tubbo stood up and walked over to them, looking somewhat embarrassed. </p><p>“So Tubbo, how exactly is it that you…learned this skill?” Philza asked anxiously. </p><p>Tubbo looked up at Philza blankly for a moment, then smiled gently. “I guess it’s just a hidden talent of mine!”</p><p>Tommy suddenly grabbed Tubbo’s wrist and tugged at it. “Come on, Tubbo! Let’s go inside so you can show you the game I got!” Tubbo locked eyes with Philza for a second longer, then gave into Tommy’s demands and went inside. Techno looked up at Philza, who seemed to be trying to compose himself.</p><p>“Are you okay, Philza?” Techno asked nervously. Philza looked over at Techno, then forced a smile and ruffled his hair again. </p><p>“I’m fine, Techno. Don’t worry about me.” Philza then turned and began to walk inside the house. “Come on, let’s pack away your things.”</p><p>Philza and Techno began gathering the textbooks and stationary from the table, then took them into Techno’s room and put them away. Philza smiled anxiously at Techno, then left the room without saying a word and entered his office, closing the door behind him. Techno sat on his bed, his heart racing a little. He had seen Philza worried before, but the expression on his face earlier seemed more like fear. Techno glanced over at his bedside drawers and saw Karl’s pocketbook sat on it. He picked it up and opened the first page, hoping that by reading it, he would have his mind taken off of what just happened. </p><p>As he began reading, he started to get more focused on the words in the book. The book began by talking about the foundation of a nation called L’Manburg, which was founded by a small group of people seeking to escape oppression. Techno was once again shocked to see familiar names, forgetting that he had already glanced over the book before. He was surprised to learn that Wilbur was the founder of the nation and he led a small group to war against Dream of all people. The war ended in a bittersweet victory, but it was short lived as someone called Jschlatt was voted to become the new ruler. </p><p>Techno paused for a second. “Jschlatt?” he spoke quietly to himself. “Why does that name seem familiar?” Techno wracked his brain for a minute, but his memory came up empty as usual. He signed, snapping closed the book and placing it back down. He then stood up and peered round the door to Tommy’s bedroom. Inside he saw Tommy gesturing wildly and speaking loudly to Tubbo, who seemed to be excitedly watching Tommy play a video game. Tubbo then turned his head and noticed Techno. </p><p>“Hey Tommy, your brother is at the door,” Tubbo said cheerily, which made Techno flinch. </p><p>Techno paused for a moment. “He’s not my-“</p><p>“Come in, Techno,” Tommy interrupted. “I’m playing an awesome game!” Hesitantly, Techno walked into the room, peering over Tommy’s shoulder. He seemed to be playing some sort of combat game. </p><p>“Have you ever played this game?” Tubbo asked, to which Techno shook his head. </p><p>“Come on, Tubbo. Does Techno really look like the type of person to play video games?” Tommy looked at Techno almost mockingly, which seemed to spark something within Techno. </p><p>“I bet I could beat your high score,” Techno replied flatly. Tommy went quiet for a moment before passing the handheld console to Techno, whose hands naturally seemed to move into the correct position. He sat down on the floor between Tommy and Tubbo and then started the game, focusing intensely on what was happening as the other two boys stared quietly at the screen. As the game went on, Tommy began to look increasingly nervous. As the level neared its end, Tommy snatched the console out of Techno’s hand. </p><p>“Hey, what was that for?” Techno snapped. Tommy closed his eyes and poked his tongue out at Techno. When he opened his eyes though, he felt his body go cold as he met eyes with Techno. Techno’s face looked darker and his eyes appeared bright red, almost as if they were glowing. Tommy stepped back, almost stumbling back. Techno was brought back to his senses as he felt a firm poke in his side. Slightly panicked, he quickly looked to his side and saw Tubbo next to him with a concerned expression on his face. Techno then looked over to Tommy, who’s body language seemed very closed. He was shivering a little, his face screaming with fear. </p><p>“Techno, it’s just a game,” Tubbo said somewhat cautiously. “Why are you so upset?”</p><p>Techno looked back at Tubbo, then returned his gaze to Tommy. He had never seen Tommy so defenceless before, but he felt his heart drop as he realised that Tommy was staring at Techno – he was the one who had scared Tommy. Techno took a few unsteady steps backwards, then ran out of the room instinctively. He rushed to the back door and began furiously rattling the door handle, trying to get the door to open. He felt his heart racing, his breathing getting heavy. He then felt someone grabbing his shoulders, then spinning him around. Techno tried desperately to break free, but then he was pulled into an embrace.</p><p>“Techno, what’s wrong?” Philza spoke in a worried voice. </p><p>Techno began to tremble a little before he reached his hands up and gripped the back of Philza’s clothes. Philza wrapped his arms tighter around Techno, trying to help calm him down. Techno focused his attention on the rhythm of Philza’s heart beat, which slowly helped to settle him and bring him back to reality. Techno then released his grip, which caused Philza to break the hug and look at Techno, his hands on either shoulder. </p><p>“Are you okay, bud?” Philza asked again, this time in a more settled voice. Techno nodded, then looked past Philza to see Tommy and Tubbo looking in from the entrance to the kitchen. Techno looked down at his feet. </p><p>“I’m a monster, Philza,” Techno replied quietly. </p><p>“How’d you reason that one out?” Philza responded patiently. </p><p>“I was trying to play the game Tommy had and got upset when he took it from my hands, but then when I looked at him, he looked back at me as if I was some sort of animal.”</p><p>Philza placed a hand on Techno’s head, gently rustling it. “Don’t worry, Techno. You’re not a monster. I’m sure Tommy understands this, too.” He then crouched down in front of Techno. “Plus, he’s kind of a brat,” Philza whispered. “You will have to get used to him acting like one.” Techno smiled. He then walked past Philza and over to Tommy, staring at his own feet as he walked. </p><p>“I’m sorry, Tommy,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”</p><p>Tommy remained quiet for a moment, then ran into Techno and wrapped his arms around him. Techno nervously looked over his shoulder at Philza, who simply smiled back. Techno reluctantly reciprocated, loosely hugging Tommy back. </p><p>“I’m sorry, too,” Tommy spoke eventually, then looked up at Techno. “I saw that you were getting a better score than me and it made me upset. But I shouldn’t have snatched the game from you.” Tommy took a step away from Techno, then used his sleeve to wipe his eyes. As he was doing that, Techno perked up a little when he heard the sound of quiet tapping. He turned to look at the glass doors and was surprised to see Ranboo standing there, shyly peering into the kitchen. Techno waved, drawing everyone’s attention to the door. Ranboo scanned the room from outside – his eyes went to Philza first, then Tommy and then Tubbo. As soon as he saw Tubbo, however, he had a look of fear on his face and then suddenly disappeared. Techno tilted his head in confusion and then curiously looked over at Tubbo, who had a somewhat dissatisfied look on his face. </p><p>Philza looked over at the clock, then smiled at Tubbo. “Alright kids,” he said. “I think it’s about time we got Tubbo home and got Wilbur back, hmm?” Tommy had a saddened look on his face, but Tubbo playfully nudged him with his elbow.</p><p>“Cheer up, big man!” Tubbo said. “It’s not like you’re never going to see me again. I’ll be back soon.” Tommy looked at Tubbo with a gloomy expression, but quickly smiled and returned to his usual upbeat mood. </p><p>“I’ll walk you home, Tubbo. Techno, you stay here with Tommy and make sure he doesn’t do anything wreckless, okay?” As soon as Philza finished speaking, Tommy kicked up a fuss. </p><p>“No, I wanna walk Tubbo home! Let me walk him home!” As he thrashed about, Techno glanced over at Tubbo, taking notice of the discomfort on his face. He then remembered that Tubbo lived in the forest, and if Philza were to find out, he would know that Tommy had met Tubbo while out of the house. Techno took a deep breath. </p><p>“I can take them,” Techno spoke up suddenly, which made Tommy’s eyes light up, though Philza had quite the opposite reaction. “I can take Tubbo home and take Tommy with me. Then you can go pick up Wilbur while we are out.”</p><p>Philza furrowed his eyebrows at Techno’s offer. “Are you sure? I mean, you don’t even know where he lives.”</p><p>“I know the way,” Tubbo replied. “I can give Techno directions to my house. It’s not far from here after all.” Philza looked at Tubbo who had a serious expression on his face. He then looked over to Techno, who seemed surprisingly accepting about the idea. </p><p>Philza let out a deep sigh. “Okay, but if you’re gone for more than 20 minutes I’ll come looking for you, okay?” The boys all nodded in unison. Philza sighed again. “Fine,” he said reluctantly. “One last thing before you all go though.” Philza turned his attention to Tubbo. “I need to have your word that you won’t tell anyone about Techno. The fact he is half pig, I mean. If you promise to keep that secret, you can come back here again.”</p><p>Tubbo looked nervous, but obediently nodded his head. Techno went into his room and grabbed a beanie to cover his ears. Everyone walked out of the front door together, then Philza locked it. Techno held Tommy and Tubbo’s hand on either side, then walked in the opposite direction to Philza. </p><p>“Where are we going?” Tommy asked after walking in the same direction for around 20 seconds. </p><p>“We need to make it look like Tubbo is from the city or else he will know you’ve been sneaking out,” Techno replied bluntly. After walking for a little while longer, Techno stopped and looked over his shoulder – Philza was gone. He then turned and walked into the forest, gripping his hands tighter as they wandered in. With Tubbo’s help, the three of them arrived at the spot Techno had originally met Tubbo. Techno felt a tug as Tubbo stopped walking. </p><p>“I can find my way home from here,” he said suddenly. </p><p>“Are you sure?” Techno asked. “I don’t mind walking you all the way home just in case.”</p><p>“You saw what I could do, right?” Tubbo replied, almost threateningly. “You don’t need to worry about me. Get home before your dad finds out where you are.” Tubbo then looked at Tommy and grinned. “I’ll see you both again soon!” Before either of them could reply, Tubbo jogged away further into the forest. After standing still for a moment, Techno turned and led Tommy back home. </p><p>They sat waiting at the front door, Techno firmly holding Tommy’s hand as they waited to make sure he couldn’t run away. After a few minutes of waiting, Philza and Wilbur arrived home and they all went inside. Wilbur talked about how he and his friend had played games all afternoon while Tommy boasted about how Tubbo had shown off his powers to them, which Wilbur laughed off as childish imagination. All the while, Philza quietly sipped his drink and Techno played along with Wilbur, much to Tommy’s annoyance. </p><p>After an evening of playing card games, Philza sent the boys off to bed earlier than usual, which Tommy didn’t approve of. Techno and Wilbur went to their rooms without complaining. As Techno lay in bed with his bedside lamp on, he replayed the earlier scenario with Tommy in his head over and over. He couldn’t help but feel like Philza was wrong, that he was a monster and that he should be as far away from everyone as possible. He then shook his head, trying to break his thought cycle. </p><p>For hours he tossed and turned in bed until deciding he needed a drink of water. He wandered towards the kitchen, then stopped as he saw the door to Philza’s office slightly ajar, a little light from it escaping into the hallway. Techno looked up and down the hallway, then slowly peered his head around the corner into the office. Techno felt a wave of anxiety well up inside as he took a cautious step into the room to look more closely at what was inside. He noticed a desk which had paper neatly organised on it, illuminated by a lamp. As he walked closer to it, he realised the papers on top had his name on it. Picking it up, he inspected the papers and realised that they were adoption papers. </p><p>Techno then noticed one of the desk drawers was slightly opened and he saw what appeared to be a mask inside. He opened the drawer and saw a black masquerade mask that had a beak on it. He pulled the drawer out further and was surprised to see a pink mask that had what looked like tusks and a snout, though oddly unlike the other mask, this one was damaged. As he stared at the mask, he felt his body tremble a little, though he couldn’t quite figure out why. Though at first he thought the pig mask was a coincidence, he began to analyse the situation and remembered that Philza’s wings were a dark grey, which seemed to fit with the other mask in the drawer. As he felt his thoughts racing, he quickly closed the drawer, taking a moment to catch his breath. Growing afraid of being caught, he took fast but silent paces towards the door, but before he could leave the room, Philza appeared at the entrance, causing Techno to freeze up. </p><p>“Techno?” Philza said quietly with a surprised look on his face. “What are you doing in here?” Techno stared down at his feet, trying to come up with an excuse. He then shook his head and looked up at Philza nervously. </p><p>“What were those masks in your drawer?” Techno asked with a serious expression, trying to hide his fear. “And why isn’t there one for Tommy or Wilbur?”</p><p>Philza remained silent for a moment, then sighed. “This will sound weird, but I wanted to make a mask for you because you seemed insecure about your pig features,” Philza said gently. “But I accidentally dropped it and stood on it. I didn’t want to disappoint you, so I hid it in the drawer out of embarrassment.”</p><p>“And the other mask?” Techno replied, though his expression was more relaxed. </p><p>“I made that for myself years ago, I guess as a way to accept myself for what I was. I didn’t make one for the others because, well, they’re not like us.” Techno looked down at the floor again, mad at himself for being accusatory towards Philza. Upon noticing his upset, Philza walked over to Techno and placed a hand on his shoulder, crouching down to get eye level with Techno, who continued to look away. </p><p>“It’s been a long day,” Philza spoke softly. “Let’s get you a drink and then go to bed, okay?” Techno defeatedly nodded and followed Philza into the kitchen. After having a glass of water, Techno wandered back to his room and threw himself face first onto his bed. He turned his head to look at the book on his bedside drawers, remembering the conversation he had with Karl. He then thought about his dream the night he first arrived at Philza’s house – the goat and the fox that talked to him. As he began thinking, he felt a sharp pain in his head, causing him to stop thinking. He rolled over onto his side, turned the lamp off.</p><p>He found himself in the white room again, this time with Dream in front of him. </p><p>“What are you doing here?” Dream asked. “Weren’t you trying to remember?”</p><p>“I don’t know what to do anymore,” Techno replied sadly. Dream stood quietly for a moment, then tilted his head upwards. </p><p>“That’s something only you can figure out,” he said, then glanced at Techno again. “But perhaps you’re going about this the wrong way.” </p><p>Techno tilted his head. “What do you mean?”</p><p>Dream pointed at himself. “Who am I?” He then pointed behind Techno. “And who is that?” Techno turned to see a goat looking up at him. “Philza doesn’t want you to remember. But we do.” Techno turned back round to Dream. “I need you to remember. Come find me in the forest and we will talk.”</p><p>Before Techno could answer, he woke up to his alarm ringing.</p>
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